This is shaping up to be a bumper year for England Cricket (whether you agree with the scheduling or not). Our boys are set to face the Aussies home and away with two back-to-back Ashes series and 10 Test matches within four months.

The question is: what can we expect from sponsors during this cricketing feast?

There have been some great sponsorship campaigns in the UK over the years including Betfair, Adidas, Marstons and Buxtons, and in our view, the conditions are in place to take it to another level again to create something really ground-breaking.

Secondly, it will attract a big audience. This year’s Ashes are already looking to be a record-breaking sell-out across all five venues staging Tests, with a rush for tickets as soon as they went on sale. And across TV, radio, print and the web the crown jewel of cricket will as always pull in enormous audiences in England, Australia and beyond.

Thirdly, the appeal of England versus Australia goes way beyond the traditional Test cricket audiences and into the realms of the Casual Sport Fan. What’s more, The Ashes is a tournament that combines a strong mix of banter, patriotism and humour, which is the perfect platform for creating unique and amusing social content that celebrates one of the most famous of all sporting rivalries.

And finally, social media has reached a critical mass. The way that audiences engage with cricket is expanding beyond the traditional channels. Modern sports fans have embraced technology: it’s a core part of their increasingly fragmented media consumption diet plan. Nothing will replace TMS, but Twitter has made cricket easier than ever to follow and the variety of content is unmatched. Where else can you find out both the latest score and who on the team is having a bad hair day? This gives brands that want to use cricket to reach their audience far more exciting opportunities.

The campaign Synergy created for Betfair in 2009 was one of the earliest socially-centred campaigns in cricket. We used social channels to fuel the banter while Jason Gillespie and Phil Tufnell brought the Anglo-Aussie Ashes rivalry to life. Great content, big promotions and physical rewards (tickets and merchandise) attracted fans and kept them engaged throughout the summer of cricket. And that was in the early days of social media – imagine what is possible now.

We can see more great examples of cricket campaigns from around the world.

Coca-Cola provided a great example of what is possible in cricket when they built the ‘Coca-Cola Beach’ at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).  Not only did Coca-Cola create a brilliantly orchestrated experiential zone within the venue, they also developed a fully-integrated campaign using Facebook, POS, online, PR and TV. By using Sydney residents Shane Watson, David Warner and captain Michael Clarke, Coke’s campaign encouraged consumers to buy a bottle and win a spot on the beach – the ultimate seat in the SCG.

A cricket tour, which can last for 3 months, gives a brand plenty of time to stage a slower-burn, wide-ranging campaign. In India, Nike capitalised on this by creating ‘Streets to the Stadium’. The campaign focused on a set of young Indian cricketers who were offered a chance to join the roster of the National Cricket Academy by winning the Nike Cup. Along the way, they engaged over 8,000 cricketers and 2.5m Facebook fans via the brilliant content they released on their social media channels.

Mobile is another rich area for cricket sponsors. Vodafone’s Live Cricket app currently offers fans the chance to chat to the commentators and get up-to-the-minute stats and scores – whilst this is all useful, it’s nothing ground-breaking. Brands could go so much further. With its rich tactical nuances, deep statistics and frequent breaks in play (between every ball), cricket is the perfect platform for a brilliant second screen experience.

Apps also have the opportunity enhance the in-stadium experience. Imagine the perfect cricket app that allowed you to order a pie and a pint from your seat, to rewind and watch replays, send messages to the big screen and switch to a front row seat camera view. All possible. The one thing holding all this back is the availability at Test match grounds of free WiFi. But things are starting to change, and Lord’s is leading the way by launching free public WiFi last summer in the media centre, hospitality and public areas, which will be rolled out across all stands in 2013.

There is no doubt that the conditions are right and the ingredients are there for a brand to shake up cricket sponsorship. And the even better news is that there is a property available: principal sponsor of the England Cricket Team.

Brit Insurance, the current sponsor, has already announced that they will not renew their deal at the end of their contract, citing a ‘strategic change in business objectives’. They have also made it clear that they are prepared to terminate their deal early if a new sponsor can be found. In many ways, it’s a surprised that no-one has stepped in already to take advantage of the Ashes double-header. In fact, the new sponsor could be looking at three high-profile series against Australia, a Champions Trophy and a World Cup, all in the next three years.

This type of opportunity is simply too good to miss. Let’s hope the next sponsor, whoever it might be, gets the delivery right and then smashes it out of the ground.

By Lisa Parfitt on February 28th, 2013

Tags: Advertising, Ashes, Branded content, Consultancy, Content, Cricket, ECB, Experiential marketing, Facebook, India, London 2012, Mobile, Social Media, Sponsorship, Sponsorship Activation, Sponsorship consultancy, Sport, Synergy, Twitter

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Before England’s ill-fated 2010 World Cup campaign, the Football Association took a gamble.  It turned down Nationwide’s ‘money on the table offer’ to renew its sponsorship of the England team, gambling on the fact that the deal would be worth more following a successful outing in South Africa.

Alas, we all know what happened – or, rather, what didn’t happen on the pitch.  As a result, the FA has struggled to find a new sponsor for the team.  Expected any day now is the news that Vauxhall will be the team’s new sponsor.  The finances probably won’t be revealed, but it’s expected that £5million per annum will be there or thereabouts.

£5million per annum is also the amount being sought by the English Cricket Board for sponsorship of England Test match cricket following the news that npower, sponsors since 2001, have declined to pay a 25% hike on their existing contract, despite enjoying the enormous additional interest generated when England won the Ashes at the Oval in 2005 (see below).

The ECB has taken the same gamble as the FA – that England would win.  The stunning Ashes victory down under has paid off – so far.

Now all the ECB has to do is capitalise on the nation’s euphoria and the growing belief that England can go on to become the best cricket team in the world over the next 4 years.  That’s the timescale of the next sponsorship contract, in which there will be two home Ashes series, in 2013 and 2015.

So, what type of brands will the ECB be reaching out to?  Immediate thoughts gravitate towards an essentially British brand, popular with the predominantly male audience which favours Test cricket.  Or, perhaps, a largely unknown brand (like Cornhill was when it became Test match sponsor in 1978) wishing to establish itself in the UK marketplace and, to a lesser extent, in Test match-playing countries through overseas television coverage.

Several brand categories are off limits, however.  Brit Insurance sponsors the England team and this precludes any other B2B insurance brand.  Likewise, the England team already has deals with Marston’s (but a lager brand would be OK), Jaguar, Buxton and FTI (making the likes of PwC, KPMG and Accenture off limits).  Retail banking is out as well because of NatWest’s long and on-going association with English cricket.

The ECB is inviting ‘expressions of interest’ from any brands interested in the proposition.

Interestingly, the Board may find that international brands may take up the invitation.  Test match cricket in England would be a good vehicle for an Indian, Middle East or Far East brand wanting to establish itself in the UK market.  Indian groups such as Reliance and Tata may be interested for one or more of their brands.  Indeed, a Tata brand – Jaguar – is already involved with the England Team.

With the sums being sought, the ECB may find itself eyeing foreign investment.  But how will England cricket supporters react if Test matches in this country are sponsored by, say, RelianceMart?  Sounds daft, but it just might happen.

By Karen Earl on January 11th, 2011

Tags: Ashes, Cricket, ECB, Football, Sponsorship, Sport

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‘Tis the month for a good debate – you only have to click here to see the ongoing and lively discussions generated on our global poll to find the greatest sports marketing innovation of modern times.

With just over a month until this year’s BBC Sports Personality Awards, it’s right about now that I, along with people up and down the land, begin to debate who should be in the BBC’s final short-list. Growing up watching the show, having attended the last two and with this year’s Birmingham ceremony on Sunday 19th December already in the diary, I can’t wait for the night itself.

One of the privileged few who actually does help to decide the final shortlist, SPORT’s editor Simon Caney, shared his own top 10 in today’s magazine which got me thinking who would make mine.

It must be said, Ryder Cup 2010 aside, with no Olympic Games and a truly feeble showing by England in this summer’s World Cup, it has not been the most historic of years. But there are two clear stand-out names for me.

Graeme McDowell checks out his Ballantine's Championship blend

1. Graeme McDowell – having worked with GMAC for Ballantine’s (have you tried Graeme’s very own Ballantine’s Championship blend? Lovely.), Graeme would get the nod for personality alone. Cracking guy. Add to that his performance in October’s Ryder Cup, helping Europe to win the trophy and most importantly, back in April, becoming Europe’s first US Champion in 40 years; he’s had an incredible year.

2. AP McCoy – Tony McCoy. The greatest jump jockey horse racing has ever seen. Finally won the Grand National this year on Don’t Push It, 15th time lucky. Ridden over 3,000 winners and been jump racing champion every year since 1995/96.

Difficult to see beyond those two for me. However, let’s not forget a few other worth contenders:

Powerade ambassador Jessica Ennis

3. Jess Ennis – Powerade ambassador, flying the flag for both Sheffield and GB (as team captain). European Heptathlon Gold medallist in Barcelona earlier this year.

4. Mo Farah – Bupa flash runner, NFL honorary captain and, more importantly, one of this year’s big sporting success stories having won both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the European Championships. Nice chap to boot.

5. Graeme Swann – standout bowler in this summer’s Ashes win, the ECB’s Cricketer of the Year and all-round great Tweeter.

6. Lee Westwood – finally crowned the world’s number 1 golfer (Tiger who?), especially excelled this year in weight losing and Ryder Cup winning, before injury forced a temporarily break from the game.

7. Tom Daley – his gold medal Commonwealth Games performance in Delhi would have secured the 16-year old Olympics gold. True fact.

8. Phil Taylor – has a darts player ever won before? No. More than enough reason for me to back ‘The Power’ and he’s certainly the greatest in the sport. Would eat my hat if he did win. Happily.

9. Lewis Hamilton – has the ability to win SPOTY based on this Sunday’s performance in Abu Dhabi alone, the last race of what has been a fascinating F1 season. Leading the British charge to stop Alonso, Webber or Vettel taking the world championship. Win the title, win the Sports Personality. Possibly.

Bupa Ambassador Mo Farah

Long shots for my final nod include Amy Williams (fearless Olympic gold medallist in the Winter Games), Stuart Broad (if he has a stonking first Ashes Test in Brisbane this month), Phillips Idowu (for services to bonkers hair colour) and Mark Cavendish (five Tour de France stage wins and one of the world’s greatest sprinters on the road).

Never easy to make the final call. If I was pushed, I think Amy Williams would get the nod for #10. And Mark Cavendish to replace Lewis Hamilton is he doesn’t win the F1 Championship on Sunday.

Yep, I’m done. Have I got it right? And who’d make your list?

By Synergy on November 12th, 2010

Tags: Ashes, Athletics, BBC, Cricket, Cycling, ECB, Football, Formula 1, Golf, Lewis Hamilton, Media, NFL, Olympics, Ryder Cup, Team GB, Television, Tiger Woods, World Cup

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With the oustanding efforts of the England cricket team splashed across the media, Virgin Trains have boarded the bandwagon by given the Australians a fresh reminder of their loss with a touch of English humour.

This is not the first time that Virgin Trains have run ads featuring sports stars.  At the start of this year the company ran a  ‘Liverpool to London return faster than Robbie Keane” campaign.

By Synergy on August 26th, 2009

Tags: Advertising, Ashes, Cricket, Default

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Just when Tuffers and Dizzy thought they had got over the worst of the dangerous, nerve racking and quite possibly life-threatening Betfair Challenges, they arrived at a farm in Leeds ahead of the Headingley Test to bowl each other down a giant hill in zorbs, attempting to hit the super sized inflatable stumps at the bottom. 

Sky Sports News and BBC Look North turned out to film the action and there was much concern from both Dizzy and Tuffers that they may well be sick live on TV!  Tuffers bowled first and sent Dizzy down the hill at 30mph with a googly that uprooted offstump.  Dizzy levelled the Challenge by launching a very ill-looking Tuffers down the hill and in to the stumps.  Challenge drawn, leaving the series poised at 2-1 to England, with the all important 6-aside cricket match to be played.

The final Challenge took the series to the Hurlingham Club in West London – and Tuffers continued his good form and brought the trophy back to England. Although Dizzy had “The Cat” cowering to square leg against his aggresive fast bowling, Tuffers’ Tyrants held on with the help of a majestic knock from ex West Indies batsman Jimmy Adams.  To watch all the action go to FanvFan.com

Dizzy now has to face a forfeit for losing the Betfair Challenge series.  He will have the honour of having the St George Cross emblazoned across his chest at The Oval and have to cheer England on amongst the Barmy Army as England look to win the real Ashes in the final Test.

By Synergy on August 20th, 2009

Tags: Ashes, Branded content, Default, Digital marketing

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This summer, we at Synergy are working with Betfair, the online betting exchange, to bring their ECB partnership to life through a fun and entertaining online campaign. Ashes fever is sweeping the nation as ultimate rivals England and Australia battle for the Ashes urn. We’ve signed up Ashes legends Phil ‘The Cat’ Tufnell and Jason ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie to go head-to-head in a series of (Synergy-inspired) challenges that can be watched on the dedicated website FANvFAN.com.  

The website, designed by Engine group company Altogether, offers more than just the videos with the chance to win tickets to each Test match, a chance to play alongside Tuffers and Dizzy and the opportinity to win £4,000.

The virals started in Cardiff with the pedalo race before moving on to Lord’s and the extreme lawn mower race. Our most recent visit was to Warwick race course as Dizzy and Tuffers galloped a furlong down the finishing straight.

The campaign is proving to be very popular and even made the top spot of Media Week’s Great Viral feature.   

Betfair Challenges - www.fanvfan.com

 Keep your eyes peeled as the adventures for our two cricketing legends continue!

By Caroline Ayling on August 3rd, 2009

Tags: Ashes, Cricket, Digital marketing, Sponsorship, Television audiences

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Bell‘s whisky acted fast this week to leverage Ian Bell’s recall to the England cricket team. The Diageo-owned whisky brand announced its sponsorship of Ian Bell’s bat as he takes the stage in the third Ashes Test at his home ground in Edgbaston.

By Caroline Ayling on July 31st, 2009

Tags: Advertising, Alcohol, Ashes, Brand marketing, Cricket, Sponsorship, Sport

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© Nick Potts / PA (Telegraph Media Group)

One highlight from the rather depressing cricket news today.

With England cricket fans still reeling from the devastating announcement of KP’s withdrawal from the remainder of the npower Ashes series, the above image found its way into two of the national broadsheets today.

PA photographer Nick Potts managed to capture and distill into one image the cloud of troubled thoughts surrounding England’s would-be captain at the present time. Standing in front of the sightscreen branded with title sponsor npower‘s latest slogan, the hoarding rather ironically conveys: Home Team – Service and Repair – this summer… just what KP had hoped for and, unfortunately, was denied.

Don’t worry folks. He’ll be back.

By Synergy on July 23rd, 2009

Tags: Ashes, Cricket, ECB, Sport

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BSkyB and npower, respectively broadcaster and sponsor of this summer’s much-anticipated Ashes Test cricket series, revealed their Ashes marketing strategies this week, which take radically different approaches.

Sky’s ‘It Can Only Be An Ashes Summer’ campaign, promoting Sky HD, wonderfully evokes the event’s rivalry and heritage, and features England icon Sir Ian Botham.  All good, and here’s the TV ad – created, incidentally, by our sister agency WCRS.

Conversely, npower will be using Aardman Animation characters playing village cricket, in a retention-focused campaign promoting a £100 discount offer, supported by experiential cricket events. So far so good, but I’m puzzled by npower marketing director Kevin Peake’s reported comments in this week’s Marketing Week, that the campaign will be ”targeted” and “niche” to “reflect the mood” of the country.

Eh? Much as I admire Kevin’s habitual left-field approach, the biggest, most eagerly-awaited sporting event of the summer, and the only time that cricket in this part of the world achieves genuine mass appeal, doesn’t strike me as the ideal time to go niche.

And as for ”reflecting the mood” of the country, surely it would be more effective – like Sky – to use The Ashes to tap into the public’s hunger for escapism? As Mike Atherton pointed out in The Times back in February, sport has always fulfilled this hunger, but especially in times of recession.

‘…interest in hockey, baseball and other [US] sports did not diminish during [the Great Depression]. If anything, it increased. The public’s appetite for fun, frolics and irrelevancy was proportional to their hardship. Seabiscuit, the great racehorse, became popular partly because the story was an unlikely one: a small horse with a poor gait and an alcoholic jockey struck a chord with those fighting against seemingly insurmountable odds. When Seabiscuit faced War Admiral in a race billed as the “match of the century”, an estimated 40million tuned in to listen.’

By Tim Crow on May 28th, 2009

Tags: Advertising, Ashes, Brand marketing, Cricket, Default, Sponsorship

2 comments

In the ever evolving world that is sponsorship PR, there are two factors that increasingly hit our radar again and again:

1. A client’s request to come up with an idea that is unique, something never been done before, one that will grip news editors, secure acres of coverage, go down in history. Ideally the idea should also be engaging, clever and memorable. And must reward customers too.

No mean feat – a new, engaging, rewarding killer idea.
Leave it with us.

2. The power of celebville. The obsession with celebrities and fame, Heat headlines and Hello! ‘exclusives’ which shows no signs of truly waning. People yearn to be famous particularly those with no discerning talent. Shame on them. I don’t get it but then I don’t actively choose to be the centre of attention, preferring to promote clients; make them more famous for what they do, rather then me.

However, an idea that recently caught my eye is one that manages to combine the two – a never been done before corker that will guarantee headlines and media coverage across the land. And at the same time, a stunt that will make normal beings famous. Give an everyday Joe his 15 seconds of fame. Although in this case, it will be a whole hour; an impressive 3,600 seconds.

And I love it enough to (temporarily) abandon my ‘I really don’t want to be in the limelight, honestly I blush very easily’ genes and sign up for my very own moment in the media spotlight.

Those that live in London will almost certainly be familiar with the Fourth Plinth. Those who don’t juggle their evening commute reading between London Lite, the London Paper and the Evening Standard may be happily oblivious so here goes; the Fourth Plinth is in the north-west of Trafalgar Square. Built in 1841, it was originally intended for an equestrian statue but remained empty for years. It is now the location for specially commissioned art works. The most talked about commission unveiled on the Fourth Plinth was Marc Quinn’s sculpture Alison Lapper Pregnant which was taken down in October 2007.

Lapper was born with no arms and shortened legs. Quinn’s inspiration came from the fact that there was ‘no positive representation of disability in the history of public art’.

Controversial? Absolutely. Powerful enough to change peoples’ perceptions of disability and motherhood. Definitely. It was widely viewed as a success, capturing the attention of the public and global media alike.

Alison Lapper has long gone. Thomas Schütte’s Model for a Hotel 2007, unveiled in November 2007, is currently on the Fourth Plinth.

But it’s a future resident of the Plinth that I am most interested by; Antony Gormley’s ‘One and Other’. Antony Gormley and Yinka Shonibare (to follow later in the year) were chosen from a shortlist of six artists. Gormley? I know the name. English sculptor, Londoner by birth, him of Angel of the North fame, erected in Gateshead back in 1998. And a range of other public sculpture commissions.

For ‘One and Other’, Antony is looking for 2,400 members of the public who have volunteered to stand on the plinth for an hour at a time.

I love it. It’s a cracker. And so simple. I’m inspired and I find myself wanting to be part of it.

The official line from Gormley is “Through elevation onto the plinth and removal from common ground, the subjective living body becomes both representation and representative, encouraging consideration of diversity, vulnerability and the individual in contemporary society’.

Hmmmm, I’m not so sure that did it for me Ant. My motivation is driven by an opportunity to be part of history in a vibrant city in which I have lived for the past 9 years. Perhaps also because Trafalgar Square, location of the Fouth Plinth, holds happy memories for me. Having worked on the historic npower Ashes Series of 2005, I was privileged to watch the England cricket team’s victorious tour parade perched on some tall column owned by a chap called Nelson. Top view, what a summer. And the final brucie bonus is that it’s nice and close to the office; easy to squeeze in my hour of plinth service between meetings. Convenience is everything.

I applaud Antony Gormley for his creative concept and I high five the Mayor of London’s Fourth Plinth Commissioning Group for choosing it. When you see Gormley’s Fourth Plinth unveiled, whenever that is, think of me. Website ballot permitting, I will be there soaking up the spotlight. Me, myself and I.
For one hour only.

By Synergy on July 24th, 2008

Tags: Ashes, Public relations, Sponsorship, The Arts

1 comment